Trademark Law
Maker of Tommy Guns Vodka faces infringement suit
A liquor company that makes Tommy Guns Vodka is facing a lawsuit claiming it is infringing the trademark held by a gun maker’s corporate owner.
The vodka is sold in a 19-inch bottle shaped like Tommy guns, the popular name for the submachine gun used by Chicago gangsters, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The suit (PDF) was filed by Saeilo Enterprises against Alphonse Capone Enterprises, which makes products with links to the 1920s, according to the 21st Amendment Law Blog.
Saeilo is aggressive in protecting its Tommy gun brand, the Tribune says. It sued another business that sold Tommy gun replicas in 2008, and it trademarked the term “Chicago Typewriter,” which is slang for the submachine guns.
Hat tip to ISBA Daily Legal News.
